Draft-rigging for railway-cars



UNITED STATES PATENT onnion.

HENRY I. WRIGLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL DRAFT GEAR ATTACHMENT 00., A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DRAFT-RIGGING FOB RAILWAY-CARS.

Application filed March 29, 1919.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY I. VVRIGLEY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft-Rigging for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

This invention appertains'to the mechanism employed for coupling together railway cars and comprising a draw-bar and a yoke for inclosing the draft gear or cushioning means for absorbing or dissipating the shocks incident to service; and it relates particularly to the means for connecting together the draw-bar and yoke.

In present railroad practice it is usual to connect the draw-bar and yoke by means of a transverse key which, in many instances, is of suflicient length to extend through apertures in the draft plates or sills. This invention has for its object the provision of means for connecting the draw-bar and yoke by means of a key when these parts are associated with draft plates or sills not provided with apertures for accommodating the key or permitting its insertion or removal. Under these latter circumstances the ends of the key make contact with the draft plates or sills as the rigging moves longitudinally, and particularly as the draw-bar is swung laterally due to track curvature. It being inexpedient to machine the parts it is found in practice that the key seriously interferes with the operation of the draft rigging by. its engagement with the plate or sill; and it is the object of this invention to overcome this difliculty.

An embodiment of the invention is hereinafter described and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a detail vertical longitudinal section of a railway car showing the draft rigging in elevation, the cushioning mechanism being, however, omitted;

Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of the improved rigging as applied to a car, the latter being shown partially in section; and

Fig. 3 is a detail of the key for connecting the draw-bar with the yoke.

There is shown in the drawings a car end Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Serial N 0. 285,954.

sill at 10, the deadwood or bufler block at 11, and the bufiing plate at 12. At 13 is shown a portion of the floor of the car, and at is a draft plate or sill of any preferred construction.

A draw-bar 15 is supported upon a carry iron 16, and is connected with the yoke 17 for inclosing the cushioning gear by means of a key 18, which sets through suitable apertures in the draw-bar and yoke. Preferably, as shown the key makes a sliding but close fit with the aperture in the draw-bar, but is capable of longitudinal movement with reference to the yoke, the key apertures 19 therein being elongated beyond the width of the key.

The length of the key 18 is such that its ends are at all times approximately in contact with the inner faces of the draft plates or sills 141, let, and the key is thereby prevented from being disengaged from the parts which it unites.

Under the influence of draft and bufling stresses the draw-bar has a longitudinal movement with reference to the car, carrying the yoke forwardly with it in draft. Lateral swaying movement is limited substantially to the draw-bar, the yoke moving in a right line, its lateral movement being prevented by the draft shoulders 20 formed on or secured to the draft plates 14. The turning movement is, therefore, about a center included within or immediately back of the key 18, and as a consequence the key partakes of a similar movement, its axis being deflected with reference to the axis of the car as the draw-bar sways to the right or le To provide for such change of position of the key its ends are rounded from front to rear, as indicated at 21, thereby permitting the key to have, in addition to its sliding movement upon the inner faces of the draft plates, a rolling movement upon the plate toward which the outer end of the draw-bar swings. By reason of this configuration of the ends of the key the frictional engagement between the key and the draft plate is reduced; there is no abrupt corner on the key which, by its engagement with inequalities in the face of the plate, will not only tend to check the outward movement of the draw-bar but will endanger the plate, andrthe entire stress \of draft is transmitted to the cushioning gear inc losed within the yoke.

I claim as my invention In a draft rigging for railway cars, in s combination, a pair of draft plates a yoke located between the plates and having slotted side plates, a draw bar having its butt provided with a slot of less width than i 10 the slots in the yoke, said draw bar entered and laterally movable between the side plates of the yoke, a key, whose length is substantially equal to the distance between the draft plates and whose width is substantially equal to the width of the slot in the draw bar, setting throughthe yoke and draw bar, retained in place solely by the draft plates and having its ends rounded for engagement therewith.

HENRY I. WRIGLEY. 

